Marber’s polishing will include “character work.” Per THR, the hiring of Marber came before Hunnam’s drop-out.

Reportedly current possible replacements for Hunnam include Jamie Dornan (“The Fall”) and Alexander Skarsgard (“True Blood”). The studio is also reconsidering names from their original list of contenders, including Theo James (“Divergent”) and Christian Cooke (“The Promise”). Garrett Hedlund is now unavailable with Angelina Jolie’s “Unbroken” getting underway.

EARLIER: I’m not buying the Universal/Focus Features explanation for why Charlie Hunnam has ditched the film adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey”:

“The filmmakers of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam’s immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey.”

It’s classic studio spin. The real reasons are “creative differences” or a degree of discomfort with the sexual material. In other words, he got cold feet. But as Hunnam pointed out before, he had no issues with his early role in TV series “Queer as Folk.” Inevitably, he had to feel comfortable with whatever director Sam Taylor-Wood was demanding from him as Master of the Universe Christian Grey.

I doubt that James Schamus’s recent departure from Focus Features has much to do with this change, as Universal chairman Donna Langley and producers Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca have always had a strong hand in this production, which is scripted by “Saving Mr. Banks” writer Kelly Marcel.

You have to divorce yourself from the idea that that book is going to be literally translated. The book is very explicit, because she [E.L. James] wanted to get inside the head of that young girl as she goes through this character arc of growing up, and being opened up to a sexual relationship for the first time. It’s literal by design of the author. With movies we all know, a picture is worth 1,000 words. So the cinematic language for the movie, is the opposite. It doesn’t have to be explicit, because images are so powerful. You’re dealing with a cinematic language from adult human relationships that have worked, like Adrian Lyne’s ouevre from the late 80s and early 90s.

Not allowing him time to prepare? haha, its not Shakespeare he signed up for! its trashy mommy porn, come on! he read the book and said no way. and this is Charlie Hunnam, he just did Pacific Rim and he had no problem with that ridiculous script! haha, you know 50 Shades is gonna be bad.

and can we please drop the whole "Master of the Universe" thing? he's a billionaire. how does that make someone a master of the universe? still gotta eat, sleep, take dumps and eventually die. come off it, already.